Open full image Pin

Cedars of Lebanon

Maria Harriett Mathias

1857

watercolor

From the collection of Victoria and Albert Museum

British Romanticism Impressionism Realism Early 19th Century Landscape

Dominant colour

Cedars of Lebanon is a 1857 watercolor by Maria Harriett Mathias, a British Romanticism work, held at Victoria and Albert Museum.

Who painted this?: Maria Harriett Mathias
When & what style?: 1857 · British Romanticism
Where can I see it?: Victoria and Albert Museum

About this work

This painting shows a snowy mountain slope with a line of dark evergreen trees. The trees stand out against the pale, rocky ground, and the distant peaks fade into soft blue. The colors are mostly muted, with just a few touches of green and brown for the trees. The artist signed it in the corner—Maria Harriett Mathias—using watercolor. The brushstrokes are light, almost sketchy, but still show detail in the trees. Look up Maria Harriett Mathias next to see more of her work.

The story of this work

Overview

The artwork is a watercolour drawing titled *Cedars of Lebanon* by Maria Harriet Mathias, née Rawstorne, created in 1857. It likely originated in an album featuring her watercolour views from travels in Egypt, the Levant, and Italy, including botanical studies, many of which were inscribed and dated between 1856 and 1857. The album was later sold at Christie’s in 1978, with some pages acquired by The Fine Art Society before being purchased by the Royal Geographical Society.

Read the full account in the museum source.

About the artist

Artist

Maria Harriett Mathias

Maria Harriet Mathias painted delicate watercolors of the Middle East in 1857. The five works in this set show views from Egypt and Lebanon—Edfoo’s temple walls, cedar groves, a boat trip near Asouan, the skyline of…

See the richer artist page